Our child is looking at the following small LACs ( Lafayette, Dickinson, Connecticut College , Hobart and William Smith,) to finalize decision and wanted to see if anyone has any perspectives on these schools in no particular order.
culture- do kids socialize and integrate well together whether or not they are part of an athlete or frat . Kid doesn’t care about others drinking but is not a drinker. Does the school make good efforts especially freshmen year to help integrate kids?
Which of these schools have the most academic rigor/ intensity workload? Some schools students work really hard but they party hard too. Looking for a school that our kid can explore intellectual interests but not in an intense environment
which of these schools have good academic supports?
Not really concerned with acceptance rates but look at the grades of those applying. But is there really a big difference in ranking / reputation in terms of real world outcomes - jobs, grad school? For some reason , Connecticut College doesn’t seem as well known, yet a really good school.
5 Conn and Hobart have a major they are interested in but not necessarily a deal breaker as they are looking for overall fit . Thanks!
Truth is - on a national and to some extent a regional level, none of these schools are well known - but that’s often the case in education - not a cause for concern.
People could potentially confuse CC for UCONN, the same way they do Penn for Penn State or Chicago for University of Illinois.
We know students (more than a few) who graduated from Conn College. We also know a few who graduated from Lafayette, and Hobart. I will only comment on those as I don’t know anyone who has attended Dickinson.
The Conn College grads we know…all of them…have wonderful jobs, and were very happy with their educations, and times at Conn. In addition to fine academics, the school also has a vibrant arts scene which was important to the students we knew (because our family is intertwined with the arts in a number of ways)
Lafayette…great school. We begged our daughter to apply there, but it didn’t meet her “pleasing weather” criteria. Again, the grads we know loved it there. Thought the little town was so much fun. And the academics again, were excellent.
For Hobart, two grads we know actually transferred TO Hobart and really are glad they did. The third was a second generation Hobart student and was very happy to follow in the footsteps of their parent. In all cases, these students have graduated and are well launched in interesting careers, one working abroad.
These are really fun and interesting young people who said they had no difficulty finding friends at these colleges, activities to do, meaningful relations with teaching staff, etc.
I think this will come down to your student’s gut feeling about which one they think is right for them.
I believe all of these are fine choices.
Someone else will have to provide info about Dickinson!
I am in the south and yes, there is name recognition here for all of these schools (if that matters), and kids from here (my s’s classmates) have attended all of these schools. The one who I specifically recall who went to Dickinson ended up transferring, but that’s another story not to discuss here.
First and foremost, they are all excellent schools so congrats are in order. After looking at LACs with D, my sense is that fit is very important. Therefore, a lot of the decision (assuming all are comfortably affordable) should rest on where your student feels is the best fit both academically and socially.
My D graduated from Lafayette college a few years ago and had a fantastic experience in every regard. My sense is that Lafayette has found the secret sauce where students are academically challenged but still have time to develop close friendships, get involved in ECs, do research with professors, and relax a bit. I’m sure other schools on your list have found this balance but Laf is the only one I can speak to personally.
As I could see (as a parent) the student body was pretty well balanced – it was not filled with one “type” of kid. My D had friends in many different majors (from English to engineering) and who did all sorts of different ECs (from sports to theater). She utilized her time very efficiently and was able to get her work done (including at least one lab/semester) and get very involved on campus. And she ended up at an Ivy school for grad work. In terms of the drinking, when D attended there was wellness housing so you can see if that still exists – but I don’t see not drinking as an issue. If you would like any additional information feel free to PM me.
I will add two comments about other schools:
–We saw Dickinson and liked it, but something about Laf pulled her in. An acquaintance from HS went to Dickinson and had a good experience.
–I think Conn College is as well known as the other schools on your list and may benefit from being part of NESCAC.
I can tell you the most about Conn College because we’ve considered it for both kids (D23 was accepted but did not attend, and S26 really likes it and will apply). We’ve also known families whose kids have attended and have had great experiences. My impression is that social life is active but it’s not a huge party culture. There’s no Greek scene at all (both of my kids have considered this a plus). I’m sure there’s drinking, but my sense is that non-drinkers won’t feel on the outs. There’s also a substance-free dorm. Conn College strikes me as having a supportive and collaborative environment – rigorous academics, but not too intense, and not a work-hard/play-hard kind of school. As to academic support and career preparation, that aspect is very impressive. Students are connected with counselors in the career center from the very start, and they have incentives for taking one-credit career prep classes along with their regular course load. It seems like a quirky, engaged student who is serious (but not too intense) about academics likes to be social but doesn’t like to party would feel at home here.
We’re looking into Lafayette and Dickinson for S26 but haven’t visited. There’s a Greek presence on both campuses, but I get the sense it’s more prominent at Lafayette. S26 might apply to Dickinson but not Lafayette for that reason. But academics and career-related support look great at both schools.
S26 looked into HWS but is not applying in part because it seems like there’s more of a party/Greek scene than he’s comfortable with.
Thanks for responses. Our kid really likes Hobart / seems very warm and cozy. Somebody did ask at an open house if athletes and non athletes integrate well together. No one really mentioned frats. Conn and the PA schools are technically ranked a little higher, but wondering how much that really matters and are there any discernible differences in your experience. Looking more for fit
Don’t look at rankings – just fit. And of course, look at opportunities within desired majors, a robust internship or career services program, allocation of college resources, clubs, and whatever else it is that your kid values about campus life.
Great choices! Our kids have some overlap. D25 started looking at Conn and Hobart and William Smith because of architectural studies, which she has since decided she doesn’t want to do. I have heard really good things about HWS’s architecture program and not as much about Conn. But we’re in NY. I will say that the arts part of campus at HWS was charming too.
We know current students at Dickinson and HWS. They seem similar in a lot of ways, but with strengths in different areas. Their first year programs and advising sound similar with advising for first years starting in the summer. Both seem to have strong study abroad programs. From what we’ve heard from students they can both be places where intellectual discovery is encouraged. How challenged the student is may depend on what courses they choose to take. I don’t know a lot about academic support, but I guess it depends on what you think your child needs. People we know have thrived (small classes, lots of getting to know professors) and felt supported.
Academically, each of the colleges has strengths. I think of Lafayette as being really STEM focused. HWS and Conn have architectural studies. She liked both Dickinson’s and HWS’s strong global ed programs. If your child wants to study languages Dickinson is stronger than HWS there, and Dickinson requires a language.
I will be interested to hear what others say about life at these colleges. Social life I know the least about. If you’re into hockey, seems like HWS is the place to be. (D25 could not care less.) I have heard that sports does play a role in social life at HWS. All the colleges except Conn have Greek life. I heard it is a big part of social life at Lafayette, but that it doesn’t dominate. Not sure about the rest.
In case it’s not obvious, we’re trying to sort this out too. Plus there is a different college in the mix for my D25 that is my very favorite for financial reasons, but we’re having a hard time getting D25 to consider it.
We have a lot of familiarity with HWS, for a variety of reasons. It has a large party/Greek culture. In fact, my own three kids like to have a good time, but their multiple experiences with this school in particular, was that it was over the top in that regard. I would add that in the past few years HWS appears to be trying to up their athletic game, possibly at the expense of their academic game- that remains to be seen… We know many students who have gone/currently go there, and they all fit the exact same mold. For these reasons, this school wasn’t at all appealing to my kids.
I’m sure there are exceptions and I’m not saying it doesn’t have any positive aspects, but I’m sharing our extensive experience with this school, over a long period of time.
Really, it’s a very personal decision and everyone is different. We don’t have a lot of familiarity with Lafayette and Dickinson (though we know they’re both well-regarded), but if all three of my kids had to choose between Conn and HWS, without question they would’ve chosen Conn.